The Ragged Goons are a rogue faction of outcasts, scavengers, and scale-exploiters who thrive on the chaos of Etheria’s fringes. Born in the wake of a catastrophic scale experiment in Arc 131, they reject the sanctity of Irion’s relics, viewing the scales as tools to be stripped and wielded. Their history is one of reckless raids, bloody rivalries, and a stubborn refusal to bow to the world’s order—a legacy that endures even as their numbers dwindle in the Arc of Corruption.
The Goons trace their roots to a disaster in Triz Valley, where a botched attempt to harness a Hidden Scale conduit unleashed wild magic, leveling a quarry and displacing dozens. Exiled by the Council of Or, the survivors rallied under Ruk “Splinter” Varn, a tinkerer who lost an arm to the blast and forged a prosthetic from scale shards. Declaring the scales theirs to claim, Ruk led his band into the Mountains of Triz, clashing with Gurdalk’s Gang and stealing traps to craft their first weapons. This marked the Goons’ ethos: take what works, consequences be damned.
The Ragged Goons live by a creed of chaos over control, survival over tradition. They lack formal structure—leadership falls to the boldest or bloodiest until toppled—and their tools reflect their rough ingenuity.
In Arc 135, the Goons targeted Mohinders, the suspended city atop Eldeviérs Shell, seeking its stockpile of scale essence. Led by Ruk Splinter, they scaled the spire with stolen grappling hooks, braving jungle depths and Iridian guards. They siphoned essence into crude canisters, but a Rattlepack surge cracked the Shell, crashing part of the city and killing half the raiders—including Tessa “Blastjaw” Korr. The survivors escaped with enough essence to arm themselves for years, cementing their infamy.
The Goons’ rivalry with the Scalebreakers erupted at Batès Lamina, where both sought the sacred red scale’s power. The Goons aimed to build a massive Splintergun cannon; the Scalebreakers, led by Veyra Tidescale, sought to shatter it. In a lake battle, Ruk’s Rattlepacks met Veyra’s geysers, ending in a stalemate when the Followers of Irion drove both off with resonant chants. The Goons retreated with scraps, nursing a grudge against their foes.
As the Shattered Chorus wailed in Arc 137, the Goons exploited the chaos, raiding weakened settlements. In Arc 151, Ruk targeted The City of Or, planting a stolen Resonance Anchor from the Veiled Canticle to amplify the Chorus and disrupt the dwarves’ forges. The plan backfired—the surge awoke a monstrous Iridian that crushed Ruk and scattered his band, ending his reign.
Ruk’s death fractured the Goons, but their spirit persists in scattered crews. Kez “Rattleskin” Dray, a goblin deserter from Gurdalk’s Gang, leads a brutal remnant near Triz Valley, rigging Chorus-charged traps. Their raids have scarred Mohinders, cracked Batès Lamina, and rattled The City of Or, while the Merchants Guild quietly trades for their loot. Rumors swirl of Ruk’s glowing tattoos hinting at an Iridian rebirth, or a hidden essence cache in the Mountains of Triz.
The Ragged Goons are Etheria’s untamed edge—a foil to the reverence of the Followers of Irion, the zeal of the Scalebreakers, and the order of the Veiled Canticle. Neither heroes nor villains, they’re survivors scrapping by in a world of corrupted scales and fading resonance. Their tales of grit and ruin echo across Etheria, a testament to the cost of defying its magic.
Last Updated: Arc 152